BBC Radio Podcasts from 6 Minute English
How climate change affects animal migration
Climate change can affect the way animals migrate, Neil and Beth discuss this.
Can AI solve crime?
Could artificial intelligence be used to solve a murder?
Learning multiple languages
Is learning languages good for you?
Are we getting more allergic to things?
Do you know anyone who has 50+ allergies?
Can we boost the immune system?
Can ginger shots, turmeric and cold water swimming boost your immune system?
Healthy meals on a budget
Is eating healthily always expensive? Pippa and Georgie teach you some vocabulary
Should we eat less rice?
Demand for rice is increasing, but is it possible to grow it in a more eco-friendly way?
The country that measures happiness
Is happiness the key to success? In Bhutan they think so.
A vaccine for cancer
There's been a breakthrough in cancer research!
Young women on social media
How do women in different countries experience the online world?
Rage bait: How online anger makes money
How do people make money from rage bait? Beth and Phil teach you some new vocabulary.
Why smells make us feel at home
How can smells make you feel at home?
Becoming a musician
Learn about life as a musician from some people around the UK.
How the world learned to love fast food
How did fast food spread around the world?
Which country has the best schools?
How do you compare education systems?
Eating 50-year-old stew
Would you eat a stew that's been in a pot for 50 years?
Are you drinking enough water?
How much water do you drink every day? Is it enough?
Embarrassed to go to the doctor?
What are the consequences of medical embarrrassment?
Call centres: Are you talking to AI?
Could AI make call centre queues less painful?
Making 'mum friends'
Is making new ‘mum friends’ the positive experience it’s often described as?
Can you trust ancestry DNA kits?
Are DNA ancestry tests a reliable way to trace your ancestry?
How babies learn to talk
What do babies need to learn to do to be able to talk?
The secrets to a healthy old age
How can we stay healthy in old age? Beth and Phil teach you some new vocabulary.
The bond between sisters
A relationship between sisters can be one of the closest there is.
Having acne
What is acne and how can it affect someone's confidence?
Why you need a good night's sleep
Why is it so important to get a good night's sleep?
Divorce: Why does it happen?
How is divorce talked about in different countries?
Tech that refuses to die
Technology is always changing! Or is it...?
Did Taylor Swift fans cause an earthquake?
Could 73,000 Taylor Swift fans cause an earthquake?
What decides our taste?
What makes us like the flavours we like? Phil and Beth discuss this.
Learning a new food culture
If you moved to a different country, how would you cope with new kinds of food?
Saving water in the driest place on Earth
How can farmers water their crops when they live in the driest place on Earth?
Keeping kids off smartphones
Can you stop a child having a phone if all their friends have one?
Less salt, better health
Are we all eating too much salt? Neil and Georgie teach you some useful vocabulary.
Meet a real Willy Wonka
Mmm, delicious. Hear a real-life chocolate maker talking about her job!
Why we love dumplings
Every country seems to have its own version of dumplings! Neil and Beth discuss.
Kids and climate change
What are young people's thoughts on climate change?
Birthday cakes
How have birthday cakes changed over the years?
The science of falling in love
What's really happening in our brain when we fall in love?
Why read books, not screens?
Why is it better to read from a book than a screen?
AI to reduce animal testing
Could AI reduce the need for animal testing?
The school that puts the kids in charge
What happens when you put kids in charge of the school?
What can we learn from toddlers?
You might think that we teach toddlers, but they can teach us as well!
How learning to read changes lives
How can literacy change people's lives?
Building a better world with wood?
Did you know that building with wood has benefits for our physical and mental health?
How names can tell painful stories
Can names be attached to painful histories?
Too old to have a baby?
Is it OK to be older parents?
E-rickshaws driving away pollution
Are electric rickshaws the solution to urban air pollution?
How bubble tea got its bubbles
How was bubble tea invented?
Can you keep a secret?
Are secrets always negative? Or can they be positive too?
Bitter food, better health?
Could bitter foods be better for your health?
Talking at the table
A lot can happen at the dinner table, and not just eating!
Eating for two
Mums-to-be often feel guilty about the food they crave in pregnancy.
Dancing for the brain
Not a dancer? You might change your mind once you hear the benefits!
Nudges: The secrets of persuasion
Are nudges good or bad?
Why sitting is bad for health
Could sitting be damaging to our health?
Why everyone loves the underdog
Could being the underdog help you succeed?
Disability in music and theatre
Learn about people trying to make it easier for disabled musicians and music fans.
What makes a great library?
What makes a library a library?
Sewing to fight period poverty
Period poverty affects over 500 million people worldwide. How can volunteers help?
Plastic waste eaten by enzymes
Plastics can be difficult to recycle, could a recently discovered enzyme help?
Feed your brain
Food is fuel for our brains. So, what should we be eating?
Food for new mums
What do mothers eat after giving birth? Does it depend on which country you are from?
Fighting loneliness with soup
Neil and Beth discuss a project in the Netherlands for helping lonely people.
What is the future of work?
Should we be worried about our jobs disappearing? Or is the future positive?
How the language of menus matters
Could french menu terms be going out of fashion?
The psychology of greed
Is it ever OK to be greedy?
Addicted to sugar
How has sugar become such an important part of our diets? Neil and Georgie discuss.
Our love of pets
Why do we keep, and love, pets? Neil and Georgie discuss this and teach new vocabulary.
Sexism: Female farmers fighting back
Female farmers in many countries face sexism. Some are finding ways to be fairly treated.
Learning lessons from the Moon
Summer 2023 saw two missions to the Moon. Why are scientists so keen to get there?
Could we live without plastic?
Is it time to start living without plastic? Beth and Neil discuss this.
Invasive species: Why don't we eat them?
Invasive species are causing problems for nature around the world, so why not eat them?
What and where is Little Italy?
How did Italian food become famous throughout the world? Find out with Neil and Georgie
Social media and teenage health
What are the risks of social media to teenage health and what can be done about them?
Mystery flying objects
What exactly did navy pilots see in 2004? The US investigates these UFOs now, in 2023.
Elephant-proof farming
What happens when an elephant wants to eat your crops? How can you stop it?
Should we farm octopus?
Is it OK to eat animals that can feel emotion? Learn vocabulary on this topic.
Ways to live for 100 years
More and more people are living to 100, but what is the secret of a long life?
How green is your money?
Should climate change make us think where to invest our money? Learn useful vocabulary.
Mushrooms: Medicine or myth?
Today the medicinal mushroom industry is big business. But are there actually benefits?
Saving dead languages
Some Australian languages have been saved from extinction. We discuss Barngala's revival.
Sounds that make you want to scream
Some sounds cause some people huge distress. Learn about 'misophonia' here.
How fans talk about their passions
Fandom is more than simply being a fan, and now it is developing its own language.
Making male friends
Do men find it harder than women to make close friendships? Neil and Beth discuss.
Space-saving solar hacks
How can we find space for new solar panels?
The stories behind our names
What can names tell us about our culture and history?
Heatwaves - can we adapt?
Heatwaves - can we adapt? 6 Minute English
Are you unhappy at work?
How can jobs change so that workers are happier?
Do you have eco-anxiety?
A growing number around the world are experiencing something called 'eco-anxiety'.
Can we stop natural disasters?
Is there any way we can stop natural disasters being so damaging?
The right way to say sorry
Neil and Beth talk about different ways of apologising.
Could you live on wild food?
We hear about a new foraging project and the health benefits of eating wild food.
Plants fighting pollution
We talk about whether plants can clean up our mess.
Should we fear chatbots?
We talk about chatbots and teach you some useful vocabulary along the way.
Is it wrong to eat plants?
We are kind to animals. What about plants?
Sonic seasoning
Can sound make your food taste better? Neil and Beth discuss.
The benefits of doing nothing
Would being lazy have a purpose in life?
The art of subtitling
Hear how subtitles can help bring TV and movies to life.
Ecotourism: good or bad?
Is a style of tourism that respects animals and local communities working well?
Can climate change cause more disease?
Mosquito-borne diseases kill 750,000 annually. Could climate change make it worse?
Food shortages
Listen to an expert on the global food system and learn some vocabulary.
Addicted to war
A war correspondent tells his story.
Ice and the origins of life on Earth
Sam and Neil talk about an essential element for life to thrive.
Women in politics
We discuss some of the reasons why women make up only 26% of the world's politicians.
What's the point of museums?
Beth and Neil discuss the controversial role of museums in the 21st century.
How culture affects sadness
Could your culture influence sadness? We talk about sadness and teach you vocabulary.
Would you eat a Kalette?
Learn about the world of novelty vegetables.
Do you get jealous easily?
Hear experts talking about jealousy and envy, and learn related vocabulary.
Are you lonely in a crowd?
We discuss the role of crowds in modern life
Food and mood
We look at the link between what you eat and how you feel.
How to talk to a climate denier
The dos and don'ts of trying to discuss science with someone who doesn't believe in it.
Losing your mother tongue
Hear the story of a woman who replaced her native Czech for English.
The health benefits of apples
Could there be some truth in the proverb 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away'?
Why do we procrastinate?
Do you leave your work until the last minute? If so, this programme is for you!
Doomscrolling: Why do we do it?
We discuss if there is an evolutionary reason why we're attracted to bad news.
Exercise for The Lazy
What's the least amount of exercise you should do to stay healthy?
Can AI have a mind of its own?
Hear about the software engineer who became 'friends' with his computer.
Climate change: Are there too many people?
Does the size of your carbon footprint depend on where in the world you were born?
The hidden life of buffets
We discuss buffet meals and the history behind them and teach related vocabulary.
Songwriting
We discuss the art of songwriting – combining lyrics and music to make a hit song.
United against food waste
According to the UN, one third of the food we grow is thrown away. How can we stop this?
3D printers
We look at the role of 3D printers in medicine, and teach you some related vocabulary.
Are opinion polls accurate?
What can opinion polls really tell us?
Deep-sea mining: Good or bad for the planet?
Could some ideas to deal with climate change actually damage the environment?
Can music mend a broken heart?
Meet a singer-songwriter who used music to express her feelings of falling in love.
The art of conversation
We discuss whether the art of conversation is being lost in the era of social media
Qatar's World Cup workers
Hear about the workers who built the World Cup stadiums
Controlling the weather
We discuss two different types of weather manipulation.
Meet the flavourists
Is designing a food flavour a dark art? We talk about the people who make flavours.
Are Halloween costumes too scary?
Some parents are complaining that some Halloween costumes are too scary.
Does climate change make you anxious?
We discuss how extreme weather events are affecting our mental health.
Translating recipes
How to adapt dishes from other countries? We talk about it and teach you vocabulary.
Are artistic brains different?
We talk about Mozart, Jimi Hendrix and teach you vocabulary.
Why are prices going up?
We discuss inflation and economics and teach related vocabulary.
English for dating online
We discuss language that gets used for dating online and new language that is emerging.
Man vs beast: Who is more efficient?
We discuss the advantages of the design of the human body, and teach you vocabulary too.
Are you following your dreams?
Hear about two people who dared to follow their dreams and are happy to have done so.
Do emojis make language better?
Are emojis turning us into lazy writers?
Being a beauty influencer
Hear about women who are using social media to change attitudes to beauty
Women in the workplace
Hear about the career-killing tasks that are holding women back in the workplace
Connecting remote communities
How do you connect the unconnected?
How pandemics end
Covid-19, The Black Death ... We discuss what happens when deadly diseases go global.
Confused by modern idioms?
We talk about some new expressions that have been introduced to English through the media
Which are more dangerous: Sharks or humans?
From monster killers of the sea to endangered species - we talk sharks and vocabulary.
Climate change and evolution
We discuss the impact of climate change on today's wildlife.
Preserving traditional recipes
We discuss the tastes of our childhood and teach new vocabulary.
Restoring trust in science
Modern scientists are under pressure from critics motivated by political views.
The Manhattan Project
Learn about the invention of the atomic bomb
Island life: Is it paradise?
Rob and Sam discuss some of the problems Pacific islanders face and teach vocabulary.
The technology of translation
What is the relationship between translation, technology and the human brain?
What is the Platinum Jubilee?
We talk about a very British tradition involving Queen Elizabeth II
People who can taste words
Can you imagine being able to ‘taste’ every word that you hear?
Finding your way in space
What’s up and what’s down for astronauts who are floating in zero gravity?
Can VR treat fears and phobias?
VR is helping people overcome phobias and even tackling more serious problems.
Life in the modern office
Great or awful? How do people rate office working? We talk about it and teach vocabulary.
Remembering Desmond Tutu
Deep convictions and a sense of humour - we talk about a man who helped end apartheid.
Discoveries of the Deep Sea
We talk about an extreme environment, and teach you vocabulary along the way.
Rhetoric: How persuasive are you?
We talk about an art that started with ancient Greek philosophers
Britain's love affair with coffee
It's not all about tea - Britons like coffee too. Learn vocabulary to talk about it.
Optimists vs Pessimists
Which one you are may be linked more to your birthplace and age than attitude.
The world of Agatha Christie
We discuss one of her most famous characters and teach you related vocabulary.
Mars: Mysteries of the Red Planet
Neil and Sam discuss our fascination with the 'Red Planet' and teach you related vocab.
Why laughter is the best medicine
Shouldn't we take laughter more seriously? We discuss and teach related vocabulary.
Is being kind good for you?
Neil and Sam discuss the benefits of kindness and teach you related vocabulary.
Eating bugs
Neil and Sam discuss eating insects and teach you related vocabulary.
The benefits of boredom
We talk about the positive side of boredom and teach you related vocabulary.
Sleepy in South Korea
Life in a place where people work longer hours and get less sleep than anywhere else.
Sleepy in South Korea
Life in a place where people work longer hours and get less sleep than anywhere else.
Preparing for the Beijing Winter Olympics
Artificial snow, coronavirus and controversy surround the Beijing Games starting soon.
Are personalised diets the best way to be healthy?
We discuss how microbes matter when it comes to food, and teach some related vocabulary.
Inventing languages
Learn about how languages get invented
Welcome to the 'metaverse'
We discuss how things like the metaverse and AI might influence how we live.
Do trees have memories?
We discuss whether plants can 'remember' stressful situations, such as droughts or pests.
Algorithms
We talk about the maths formulas that are increasingly part of our lives.
Changing the Earth's climate
Could diamonds help to prevent a climate catastrophe? That's what we discuss.
Body language online
How can we make video conferences feel more natural? That's what Sam and Neil talk about.
The Human Library: Life as an open book
Would you like to borrow a person for a half-hour candid conversation?
How green is nuclear energy?
How safe is a nuclear plant in a world of climate extremes? Listen to Neil and Sam.
Why we forget the things we learn
Georgina and Rob talk about memory and teach you vocabulary along the way.
Why is Super Mario so popular?
We talk about a famous video game character from the 80s.
Should fast food sponsor sport?
Is it right for companies selling unhealthy products to sponsor sporting events?
Grime: Music from architecture
We talk about the music of Wiley and Stormy, and teach you related vocabulary.
Where do your tips go?
We talk about tipping: the act of giving extra money to someone that has served you well.
Angela Merkel
Sam and Neil talk about the influential German leader and teach you related vocabulary.
Smart tech and climate change
Could AI be used to help fight against climate change?
Going through the menopause
Why don't people talk more about this aspect of women's lives?
Bitcoin's energy cost
Bitcoin: is it an investment option for ordinary people?
I love my language!
Neil and Sam talk about a woman's effort to keep her language alive.
Why are people collecting NFTs?
What are 'non-fungible tokens'? That's what Neil and Sam talk about in this programme.
Robot Artists
Will Robots ever be able to think or dream? Could they fall in love or create art?
Bats: Friend or foe?
Learn more about these furry flying mammals with Neil and Sam.
Is the planet warming up faster?
Some extreme weather events are puzzling scientists.
Is technology harmful to youngsters?
Can spending hours online affect the new generation's mental health?
Is chimp politics like ours?
Just like humans, chimps live in social groups, have leaders and a desire for power.
Making sense of the census
What's behind counting people in a country? Neil and Sam talk about the census.
The fear of numbers
Are you afraid of maths? Neil and Sam talk about numbers and teach you vocabulary.
A future without doctors?
We discuss if artificial intelligence could replace human doctors and nurses.
Lights! Camera! Kiss! - Intimacy on screen
How actors are made to feel more comfortable when filming intimate scenes.
Head injury in sport
Contact sports can be dangerous. The truth about the effects on players is coming out.
Inside the head of Jeff Bezos
How does the founder of the web giant Amazon think? Listen to the programme to find out.
The history of swimming
We talk about the history of swimming and teach you related vocabulary along the way.
Are humans a messy species?
Learn the language of going to the toilet.
The loneliest man in history
We talk about Michael Collins, who orbited the Moon in the command module Columbia.
How colour affects us
Neil and Georgina add some colour to your life by discussing how colour can make you feel
Flexible working
Is there a stigma attached to not wanting to work the 9-to-5 shift?
Hypnotism
Hypnotism has always fascinated us, but can anyone be hypnotised?
Saving the white rhinos
Conservationists are working on an artificial breeding programme to preserve the species.
Making old things last longer
Shouldn't we stop throwing things away and start fixing them?
Building rapport with others
We discuss four styles of communication and teach you related vocabulary along the way.
Food superstitions
We talk about food superstitions and teach you vocabulary along the way.
The Rosetta Stone
How the famous piece of rock became the key to decoding Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Compassion fatigue
Has the pandemic made people tired of feeling sorry for others and themselves?
Hermits
Why do people decide to be alone for long periods of time?
When males are not needed
We talk about different animals which can reproduce without having sex.
Mermaids
We talk about different variations on the concept of mermaids.
A quieter world
Neil and Georgina discuss noise and whether it is bad for our health.
US and China vs climate change
Can the world's two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases work together?
Naked in nature
Hear about why being naked in nature might be good for you.
The language of biscuits
Rob and Neil talk about the origins and the language of this humble snack.
Is English really English?
Neil and Georgina discuss where the English language we use today really comes from.
Astronauts on strike?
Hear all about the Skylab astronauts’ disagreement with mission control.
Digital help for blind people
Hear about digital technology which helps blind people improve their lives.
What’s the key to happiness?
Hear about what small things you can do to feel happier about life.
Looking for utopia
Rob and Georgina talk about how to create a happy place.
Covid: One year on
Over a year on since the first outbreak, what have we learnt? We talk about the pandemic.
Singing in tune
Neil and Georgina discuss singing and teach you related vocabulary along the way.
Working for yourself
Rob and Georgina talk about the advantages and disadvantages of freelancing.
How much heat do you lose from your head?
Rob and Georgina talk about percentages and teach you some English vocabulary.
The woman whose cells never die
Rob and Georgina discuss medical research and teach you related vocabulary.
What makes a good story?
Hear about storytelling and how it helps us to connect and communicate.
For the love of foreign languages
Is learning languages good for head, heart and soul?
Why can't we resist comfort food?
Neil and Rob talk about comfort food and what actually makes us eat it.
What is fat-shaming?
We discuss where the attitudes behind fat-shaming come from.
Coronavirus vs other pandemics
Hear about coronavirus and how it isn’t that bad compared to historical pandemics
Are trees intelligent?
We talk about trees and how they can communicate and help each other.
Can jellyfish help us solve our problems?
We discuss how these sea creatures could help us solve the problem of plastic pollution.
Why do we choose to text instead of talk?
Communicating by text has become more and more popular. Neil and Georgina talk about it.
Loneliness
Neil and Rob talk about loneliness and how some people prefer their own company.
Is punctuality important?
We discuss people's attitude to being on time and why some people are always late.
Could you be a victim of online fraud?
We talk about online fraud and teach you some useful vocabulary along the way.
Melting ice sheet: Is it too late?
Many scientists are wondering whether it’s now too late to stop global warming.
Walkman: the music player revolution
Neil and Georgina take a nostalgic look back at the 1980s and the birth of the Walkman.
Could humans live in underwater cities?
Hear about projects to create liveable underwater habitats and learn new vocabulary.
Hacking help for US elections
Rob and Sam discuss plans in the US to reduce the risk of cyber-attacks on election day.
Do chimps have the same emotions as us?
Hear Jane Goodall talk about the deep connections between humans and the great apes.
How can we make the web a better place?
Neil and Sam talk about the subject and teach you vocabulary along the way.
Coronavirus: Dealing with mass unemployment post-pandemic
Neil and Sam discuss the post-Covid job landscape and teach you vocabulary along the way.
Grandma therapy in Zimbabwe
Grandmothers are being trained to provide therapy to people in their community.
Is there a future without bees?
The number of bees is declining at an alarming rate, with serious consequences for us.
How to talk about conspiracy theories
We discuss what to do when you are confronted with someone who spreads falsehoods.
What’s the point of blood types?
In this programme, we’ll be finding out all about blood and teaching you some vocabulary.
Will Covid-19 change cities?
Rob and Neil discuss the future of our cities and teach you useful vocabulary.
Is this the era of distrust?
In an era of fake news, could it be that we are living through a crisis in trust?
No more bosses
Can companies operate better without managers? We talk about it and teach you vocabulary.
The medicine of coronavirus
Neil and Georgina talk about Covid-19 and teach you related vocabulary.
Food made in space
Find out how growing plants in space might help develop better crops.
Sport against poverty
Neil and Sam discuss how sport is giving hope to young people leading the toughest lives.
Covid-19: The office after lockdown
Companies are rushing to install technology to make offices safer. Neil and Sam discuss.
Should we wear a face mask?
Can wearing masks in public help prevent the spread of coronavirus? Rob and Sam discuss.
Millennials and business
Rob and Sam discuss the new generation's desire to make the world a better place.
Is being thrifty a virtue?
Neil and Sam talk about being a saver in a consumer culture and teach you vocabulary.
The food delivery revolution
Takeaway apps are changing food culture. We talk about it and teach you vocabulary.
What difference has #MeToo made?
Sam and Georgina talk about the movement and teach you related vocabulary.
Is the recycling system broken?
We talk about the over-reliance on recycling rather than reducing the use of plastics
The soothing power of books
How can books help us relax and feel more alive during troubled times?
Shocking facts about electricity
Neil and Georgina talk about how electrical systems differ from country to country.
Internet - good or bad?
Rob and Neil discuss some of the advantages and drawbacks of going online